Missiles are stored in West Germany, close to the Iron Curtain in this file photo. The challenges NATO faces have changed since the Cold War days but top military strategists are calling for the organization... (Magnum Photos)

(Newser)
–
Top military strategists from the US and Europe say that NATO must be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear strike to keep the world safe, the Guardian reports. The five ex-military chiefs have issued a manifesto calling for a sweeping overhaul of NATO to deal with a world where the West faces many threats and nuclear war remains a very real possibility. They consider the "big stick" approach vital.

"The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction," said the manifesto. There is "simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world." The men, who include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs under former president Bill Clinton, wrote the document after talks with active military commanders who are prohibited from airing their views in public.